Rise of a God
by yourmirroroferised
Summary: Albus and Minerva's family is growing. But their second son has some very unique abilities. There could be dangerous consequences if unchecked! In the same universe as "Family Fun" and "Becoming the Dumbledores".
1. Prelude and Fugue

A/N: Diving right into the third piece in the "Family Fun" and "Becoming the Dumbledores" Saga. This story might be a tad confusing if you haven't at least read "Becoming the Dumbledores", but, of course, as the author, I would recommend reading both.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

It is nearly impossible to tell when the earliest signs of the second Dumbledore-McGonagall child's magic became to emerge. His older brother had showed signs of magic almost upon arriving, screaming and squalling, in this world. Indeed, Minerva and Albus were so busy keeping their oldest child and his considerable magical abilities in hand, they themselves probably missed the first tiny glimpses of it all together. But then again, while parents in the wizarding world might expect to see signs of magic in the most predisposed child shortly after being born, no parent would expect those glimpses before their child drew their first breath.

The first recorded time that Amadeus Alaric Dumbledore-McGonagall displayed his immeasurable talent happened to be when his mother was completely alone in the house. Father and son had departed for a carefully prepared outing to visit Uncle Aberforth in Hogsmeade.

Minerva was elated that Albus had thought to give her this much-needed time to herself. Between her part-time work training Aurors in the department of Magical Law Enforcement, Minerva was attempting to pull together a research proposal for a Transfiguration theorem she had long wanted to expand. Indeed, the research had been pushed further and further back with each midnight feeding, accidental-magic repair, and feeding time-turned-food-fight for Theseus, or "Teddy" as he had learned to pronounce. Minerva adored her son, and was even excited for the next child to make its timely appearance; but the endless duties of motherhood spent the poor woman's rapidly depleting energy well beyond the credit line. Albus had also worked very hard to make sure he shared the burden. Headmaster Dippet had been caring enough to arrange a schedule that allowed for the most time before and after classes to spend with his young family. Albus was more than fair in the time he dedicated to minding the child, bathing him, feeding him, and generally nurturing their precious son.

Weekends were typically a thing dedicated to the expansive family estate in the northern regions of Scotland. Albus left Hogwarts with them, when he could. But Minerva found herself partnerless more often than not during these past few trips to visit her ancestral home. It helped that her brother and his wife were there to help mind the child. Deirdre loved the boy very much, and would always drop hints to Neptune that they should begin planning for a child of their own. Minerva's brother would laugh, scoop up the boy, and wrestle around with him on the rug, generally avoiding the question. Minerva didn't mind if her son had cousins or not, for it seemed that he would have a sibling soon to keep him occupied.

It was, in fact, this child that was the bane of her proposal. At six months pregnant, Minerva's cravings were frequent, terrible masters. With her first child, they had consisted mostly of the sweet things Albus enjoyed, such as lemon drops, hot chocolate, and other sinfully sugary concoctions. With this child, Minerva had had the oddest urges to hear very particular pieces of music. She would be leading an exercise at the Auror Training grounds, and suddenly feel the insatiable desire to listen to a Chopin Polonaise. The other night, the baby refused to stop kicking until the Nocturne from Mendelssohn's _Midsummer Night's Dream_ was playing. These proclivities delighted Albus to no end. He was very fond of music, and was convinced that their new addition was all ready developing a taste for classical fare. Minerva did not particularly share any kind of enthusiasm about this particularly trait, except that it ruined her concentration and kept her up at the most inconvenient times.

So it was today that Minerva was working on the "Method" section of her proposal when she started thing about a very particular Bach Prelude and Fugue in C# major. This music was highly appropriate for the occasion. It held a very Spring-like aspect in the Prelude, and the Fugue had a very declamatory subject similar to the exuberance and proud declaration in her current study. However, the music refused to leave her head. Minerva had never been very fond of writing with music in the background. Something as layered and over-bearing as Bach was out of the question. She simply decided to put her foot down in these cravings and dive further into her proposal.

About a paragraph from the end of "Anticipated Outcomes", Minerva distinctly heard someone slam on the piano in the conservatory just down the hall. The house-elves of the McGonagall estate were exceptional, and very well trained. Minerva was certain that no elf in her staff could possibly be responsible for such a noise. Deirdre and Neptune were on holiday in Corsica, and there was no chance Albus had come back early as she would have felt the wards disturbed first. Erring on the side of caution, Minerva summoned Karf, the head elf, and questioned him.

"No, Lady!" Karf bowed low, "None of the elves was in the conservatory today! We is all in the kitchens polishing the family silver!"

"Thank you, Karf," And just as she was about to dismiss him, the piano interrupted again. This time, it was quite clear that someone was trying to pluck out a melody. Karf stared up at her with wide, alarmed eyes.

"Lady, you think there bes an intruder?" He looked deeply disturbed at the possibility of invasion. "I swears none of the elfs bes over here!"

"I don't know, Karf," Minerva stood from her desk with a bit of effort and marched bravely toward the door. The playing had become more defined, someone was definitely picking out an, as yet, indistinguishable melody. "But I'm going to find out."

Karf jumped forward, "Lady 'Nerva, Master Neptune and Master Albus bes very upset if you is hurt. Please let Karf go instead. Karf's magic will protect him and catch whoever is in there!"

Minerva weighed the options. While she did not like intentionally making her house elves into shields, this did seem the practical thing to do, as a House Elves magic was more powerful than hers when on the estate. She nodded her consent, and the elf was gone in an instant. The playing continued to pick up gusto.

"Lady 'Nerva!" Karf yelled louder than Minerva had heard any elf speak. "There bes no one! The piano plays itself!" Minerva dashed into the room to gape at the amok instrument. As soon as she set foot in the room, the music paused and started with confidence on the Fugue from the Bach she had been craving all day. At this, Minerva blanched and would have fallen to the floor if Karf hadn't had the foresight to conjure a fainting couch. As it was, Minerva lay, staring at the piano as the keys seemed to move themselves through every modulation of the Fugue to the conclusion. Then the piano closed itself, and the room was silent.

"Lady 'Nerva?" Karf asked softly, "What was that?"

"I'm not sure, Karf…" Minerva was just as pale as before. "But if you could help me up to my bedroom and bring me a cup of ginger tea, I would appreciate it."

/*\/*\/*\

Still in research mode, Minerva carefully documented everything that had happened that afternoon from her bed. As soon as Albus returned and Teddy was down for a nap, she allayed his fears regarding her health and told him the story of what had happened that afternoon.

"Fascinating!" Albus murmured, staring at his wife's slightly domed stomach from the other side of the bed. "And you say it was exactly like the music cravings you have been having?" He glanced up at his wife's confused expression.

"Yes, but since I was so involved in my proposal, I didn't have time to play the music in any way." Minerva explained again, "I just ignored the urge."

"And it was the exact Fugue you had heard?" Albus still marveled at the anecdote.

"After a few false starts, it was the exact, perfect execution of that Fugue."

"My darling wife, I believe we may be one of the first couples in recorded history to have a child playing Bach before their can speak," Albus was exceptionally chuffed with this idea.

"Albus! That's not the point! The child can make a piano do its bidding, and it's not even technically breathing yet!" She was near hysterics.

"All right, love. Don't worry. We'll go visit Poppy tomorrow and make sure that everything is fine with the child." Albus soothed, running his hand lovingly over the home of their newest child. "In the mean time, I'd say we should attempt to cater to your musical cravings." Minerva nearly made him sleep in the guest bedroom that night.


	2. The Overture

That next day saw Poppy Pomfrey on the grounds of the Invergeldie, the McGonagall Estate. She was surprised to be greeted by the smiling face of Albus Dumbledore. On receiving an owl requesting an "urgent" examination of the baby as soon as possible, Poppy had assumed the worst and feared for the life of the child. But to find Albus in so genial a state confused her beyond repair. The father gathered up his escaping son and escorted Poppy up to Minerva's room. Once Theseus was safe in the care of the all-to-eager house elves, Minerva related once more the alarming events of yesterday.

"And you say you've been having these sorts of cravings all along?" Poppy's confusion had only deepened with this explanation. "I've never heard of a child craving music…"

"Poppy, I know what cravings feel like from having Theseus, (I nearly gained a stone just from his cravings) and I also know what it's like to not be able to get a song from one's mind." She was all ready starting to lose patience. "And I can tell you for certain that this was one of the former."

"Do you think there's a chance it's the baby?" Albus was nearly bouncing with anticipation and glee.

"It could be… and that would almost be more troubling." Poppy sighed. "Because an auditory craving like that…well… I'm not sure it's something that can be controlled by hormones such as a food craving…"

"What are you saying, Poppy?" Minerva picked up on the hesitance and worry in her tone and magnified it to the nth degree in her question.

"I'm saying that this sort of thing has to do with auditory impulses which are more to do with the brain." The hesitancy was still holding back every word, "If Minerva feels the urge to listen to this music, I believe it means that the baby all ready instilled these 'Itches' in the brain. The muggles call it an 'earworm'. But if Minerva is craving these songs that she would not normally listen to, and has not heard for years, the impulses must be coming from somewhere outside her daily routine." Her final statement was nearly sotto voce. "I suspect some rudimentary form of _Legilimency_."

Both Minerva and Albus were instantly stilled by the word. "Is that even possible?" Minerva whispered, almost as if afraid of being over heard by her own child. "Albus and I have a simpler, shared form of _Legilimency_, where we can nearly communicate telepathically. But I am also skilled in _Occlumency_. Therefore, the next time I experience a craving, I will practice it."

Poppy nodded, "That seems the most logical course. Please, do let me know how it turns out."

"But what of the piano?" Albus pressed. He was not satisfied with the answers yet.

"I suspect that any child truly capable of practicing _Legilimency_ at such an early stage could easily charm a piano." The Healer had adopted a grim tone. "But, if it truly is the baby, this is the earliest recorded sign of magic in any witch or wizard in recorded history. There are records of children performing magic at or shortly before their birth, but never in the second trimester."

"Should we be worried? What should we do?" this conversation had done nothing to assuage Minerva's fears.

"I would continue documenting each incident as you have this one. These records will be invaluable to the medical community." She quickly added, "And it will be helpful should anything else arise. Also, I would say use_ Occlumency _initially to see what the cause of these cravings is. After that, I would leave it entirely up to your parenting. So long as the baby is not hurting Minerva because of the cravings, it is entirely up to you how you wish to handle them."

"Thank you, Poppy." Dumbledore's buoyancy was even somewhat dampened.

"Also, realize and star making plans now." Poppy warned, "This child will be even more difficult than Theseus. This baby can never be left without competent and constant adult supervision until it is old enough to control its formidable abilities."

/*\/*\/*\

It was, in fact, _Legilimency_. And the cravings did continue for the next three months. By the ninth month, Minerva was playing a special record of lullabies that seemed to agree with the baby's taste in music every night. Without this record, the child simply refused to let anyone get any sleep. But with the record playing, the child was completely tranquil.

On July 9th, 1947, the newest Dumbledore decided it was time to join the breathing world. Albus and Minerva had retreated to Invergeldie to prepare for the child's birth, and to give Theseus and chance to stretch his rapidly growing legs on the hills of his native heath.

At eighteen months old, the boy was a babbling, bouncing adventurer, determined to run about and explore everything in sight. Already, little Teddy was making a habit of vanishing any kind of physical barriers or gates that were meant to keep him from trouble. His guardians were forced to use magical barriers that were beyond the magic of his still-infant mind. But the child was not bothered; and when denied access to one exploration, was sure to find another just a quickly. For this reason, Neptune and Deirdre stayed at Invergeldie as stand-by guardians for Teddy during the newest child's arrival.

So when Minerva stumbled in from her usual stroll around the garden on a rather drizzly morning and announced that it was, indeed, that time, everything fell into the place very smoothly. Aunt Neptune and Aunt Deirdre took Teddy to a far wing of the house, where he need not hear the choice Gaelic words sure to fly from his mother's lips. Albus helped her up to their bedroom, and a house-elf contacted Poppy, while the rest busily cleaned the nursery from top to bottom.

The delivery was remarkably calm and natural for the exceptional behavior of the child to date. Minerva was in exceptionally better health than her first delivery, and was progressing nicely. She had even managed to not hex anyone, wandless or not. And Poppy, by this time a fully-certified Healer, was calm and confident to a level Minerva almost found irritating.

However, shortly after five in the evening and exactly seven minutes before the birth of the child, the victrola used for playing the lullaby record hissed to life. And though the record on the turn table had not changed, Minerva heard an entirely new melody. Albus stilled for a moment to hear the song, and then his eyes grew wide in recognition. Immediately, he burst into gales of laughter that sent Minerva into a rage at him.

"ALBUS PERCIVAL WULFRIC BRIAN DUMBLEDORE! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU LAUGHING ABOUT?" To be fair, she was in the middle of a particularly difficult period of pushing, and was not in a humorous vein.

"Darling, our son has chosen his arrival music! This is _The Entrance of the gods into Valhalla_ from Wagner's _Das Rhinegold_. I would say you have about five or six minutes left of pushing?" Poppy confirmed this, "And then our little god will make his entrance with the appropriate gusto and setting." He continued to chuckle fondly.

"God or not, if he's not out soon, I will shatter that victrola! This music is insufferably pompous! I will not stand for a child of mine having such an ego that he thinks…" but her words were cut short as her breath was repurposed for more pushing.

True to Albus' prediction, the child drew his first breath and wailed as the final echo of brass and strings faded from the trumpet of the victrola. Thus, the spectacular flare Amadeus Alaric Dumbledore employed in his birth set the tenor for his exceptional life.


	3. Gigue

Despite the early and alarmingly talented signs of magic produced by pre-natal Amadeus, the infant decided to keep his family waiting before producing any actual signs of magic. He had his own special hold over the family: Amadeus Dumbledore was blessed with the most finely tuned vocal chords. He made very good use of them. He could gurgle and coo and make the most disarming noises that melted even his mother's stubborn heart. But when he was not satisfied with his immediate condition, the tiny lungs he possessed created a more than adequate amplifier for his vocal power. Minerva and Albus both started brushing up on their knowledge of classical repertoire. They very quickly discovered that Amadeus never cried when music was played. Even at night, he slept a solid eight hours, minus one very sedate feeding, almost immediately if the lullaby recording he had heard in-utero was playing. He did not need his magic, because he was already learning to master the subtle command and manipulation of people sans spells.

Teddy was not quite sure how to take the new invader. At first, he tried biting the baby, which resulted in Amadeus crying. Then he tried hugging the baby, which also ended in crying. He finally gave Amadeus a toy, but since it was a stuffed bear almost as big as Amadeus, and since he placed it on the infant's face, he got a stern lecture from Mama, _and_ the baby cried. He decided to not bother with him, and go about his own hijinks. As January 1948 and Teddy's second birthday drew closer, he began to remind everyone that he was a very active, present part of the world. He used his fairly well-coordinated magic to vanish all the pots and pans from the kitchen, have them reappear in his room, and then make them all clang against each other. It took the house elves three days to straighten the dents out of the pans.

Being a winter baby, Teddy was also incredibly fond of snow. Minerva and Albus quickly learned that, unless at Hogwarts, where even their little escape artist couldn't Apparate, the child must constantly be under adult supervision when snow was on the ground. This lesson was learned in quite a terrifying way, just after the start of the winter holidays. Both of the children were down for an early morning nap that Sunday, and Minerva and Albus were having a brief, but well-deserved, lie-in. Neptune and Deirdre had even graciously, (and somewhat eagerly) agreed to watch the children for the rest of the day after they woke up. Suddenly, Deirdre let out a piercing scream. Albus and Minerva jumped over to the next room to see Neptune and Deirdre frantically searching the room. Amadeus was looking stunned in his crib, was Teddy was nowhere to be seen.

"_Hominem Revelio_!" Albus roared. The child was not in the room. Within minutes, every house elf, and every witch and wizard on the estate were searching the house and grounds. It was Deirdre that found the tiny foot prints running towards the snow castle they had built the day before. It was the first snow of the year; and as a treat, Neptune and Albus had taken Teddy outside Saturday evening to build a rather opulent miniature castle out of the foot-deep snow. Teddy had refused to come out, and had to be lured from his domain with hot chocolate. Now, Deirdre distinctly saw a tiny trail of barefoot imprints in the snow around the castle. She quickly sent a _patronus_ to Minerva, Albus, and Neptune.

"Teddy?" Deirdre called, cajolingly.

"Deedee?" Teddy cried, in his toddler's pronunciation. A shivering eye peeped out of one of the upper windows.

Albus, Minerva and Neptune all arrived at this moment.

"THESEUS APOLLO DUMBLEDORE MCGONAGALL!" Minerva screeched. She ran to the tiny arched entrance. Albus swiftly modified the castle to put Teddy on a slide straight into his mother's arms. Minerva scooped up the little tyke and wrapped her shawl around him. From then on, the boys had the house-elf Eda as their constant guard whenever Minerva and Albus could not be with them.

After that brief spell, the holidays settled down a bit more. Teddy adored Christmas, and celebrated with as much spirit as his father. They sang carols loudly together, even though both were making up their own words. And in what Minerva could only describe as a quaint and somewhat romantic adventure, Albus hired a muggle sleigh with horses to take all six of them for a ride over the snow-ridden country roads. The boys were thrilled; Teddy was enchanted by the horses, and Amadeus loved the jingling bells and the songs his family sang. At nearly six months old, Minerva was beginning to wonder if her tiny stubborn bairn was simply refusing to show off his magic.

She received the sign she sought on Boxing Day. Teddy had become enamored of the poppers that served as one of the Dumbledore holiday traditions. He was very fond of the admirals' hat he had gotten from one of them and had invented a new game for himself. He would pick up anything he could find, within reach, pull on it, and it would explode with the same loud popping sound as the poppers, with streamers flying from it. He had run all over the house, picking up whatever he could get his hands on, and turning it into piles of brightly colored paper. He came upon Amadeus' favorite stuffed toy kneazle, and decided to play his little game on the toy. Any observer would have sworn they saw a look of deadly anger flash from the infant's eyes while this happened. But as they boys were not being well-minded by the adults, the next noise to attract their attention as Mozart's _Dies Irae_. Running over to where the boys sat, they found little 'Deus happily drooling on his stuffed toy. Teddy had his mouth involuntarily thrown open, and the music issued from there. Minerva scolded 'Deus and Albus set the poor toddler to rights. After that moment, Teddy realized the power his younger brother possessed. They were two inseparable allies and cohorts in mischief. They wore poor Eda to a frazzle.

But Albus and Minerva were fiercely proud of their children, mischievous or not. They had all ready agreed that their children were to be kept away from the rest of the wizarding world when at all possible. Only Hogwarts staff knew about their marriage. And they were very fond of the boys. Occasionally, a grandchild, niece or nephew of one of the professors would visit. They would always become best mates with the two boys. Thankfully, these children were very good at keeping secrets, were unable to articulate them at their age, and the children remained a safe-kept secret. By the end of June 1948, Minerva had returned back to working part-time in the Auror department, and Albus was starting to teach Teddy and Deus about their colors and shapes in his time between classes. Eda was a wonderful nurse, referee, and keeper of the boys when their parents were away. Over all, the Dumbledore McGonagall household was a spirited, but well-ordered refuge for these young minds.


	4. Sinfonietta

_January 6__th__ 1949_

The Dumbeldore Mcgonagall family was back at Invergeldie for the weekend, celebrating Teddy's third birthday. Poppy and her fiancé Euripides came to join the celebration, with Neptune and Deirdre serving as gracious hosts for the party. Teddy, the birthday boy, was very proudly telling anyone who would listen that he was "Free years old" and generally very full of himself for the day. Deus, who was unused to this new, ego-stuff Teddy, became rather sullen and seemed on the verge of a tantrum all day. Eda, being the intelligent and observant elf she was, knew the signs of Master Deus' fit of rage just as she knew the signs of winter descending on the mansion. She kept a close eye on him throughout the busy bustle of the day and tried to cheer him with a walk through the snow-buried garden.

However, when the cake magically appeared on the table of the dining room, and it sent off explosions of fireworks that spelled the words "Happy Birthday Teddy" in a large, familiar purple script, Deus was nearly inconsolable. Minerva had to fight to keep him on her lap as he curled up into a tight, pouting ball and attempted to sink like a stone under the table. Teddy was too awed by the fireworks and his guest's singing to notice his brother's distemper. As soon as the singing and fireworks stopped, Teddy did a lap around the table to give tiny, sloppy three-year-old hugs and kisses to all in attendance, even Eda. He came to his mother and brother last. Minerva lifted him up onto her lap to receive his gratitude, and attempted to pull Deus back up onto her lap.

"Deus, sit up properly!" She chided.

"No!" He curled tighter, holding to the defiance of his favorite word.

"Please Deus!" Teddy begged, reaching down to gently tug a handful of auburn hair.

"No, Teddy!" Deus rebelled further. With no other recourse, and really wishing to get to his cake, Teddy bent down to place a kiss on the crown of his head, wrapping his arms around the unwilling sibling.

"You're my favorite brother, Deus." Teddy whispered to him in the hug.

Suddenly, the entire demeanor of the hall changed. The hall was lit to an exceeding brightness, the air filled with the smell of birthday cake, and tiny Deus stood up on his mother's lap. Minerva had almost dropped both of her sons from shock, but as it was Teddy slipped to the floor to watch in awe as Deus began to jump up and down on Minerva's lap. As he danced with glee, Happy Birthday again filled the dining hall, but this time it was not a chorus of voices, but the might push of a 50 piece orchestra with brass that reverberated the felicitous wishes.

"Brudder! Brudder!" Deus shouted while the song played. When the song was brought to close with an explosion of confetti from the ceiling, the table was completely silent.

"Well, Albus," Neptune finally spoke, his voice sounding a bit dry, as if his mouth had been hanging open. "At least we know he has your flair for the extravagant!"

"Indeed, Albus!" Deirdre laughed scooping Teddy up on to her lap, "I do believe the boy outdid you! Now, shall we get the birthday boy some cake?"

It was decided that evening by Minerva and Albus that the child should begin early music lessons.

/*\/*\/*\

In two weeks' time, Minerva had found him an ideal instructor. The witch was a reclusive former concert pianist who had made enough money during her time in the spotlight to live comfortably in a little cottage in the north of Scotland. She rarely accepted students, but since she and Albus had once had a correspondence (he was a devoted fan of her work), she agreed to see the young talent of Miss Minerva McGonagall's "nephew" Amadeus.

His first lesson, on a chilly Saturday afternoon was interesting, to say the least. As soon at the boy saw the piano, he began to babble with joy. But the presence of Clara, this strange witch whom he had never seen before, he was not incredibly wont to show his abilities. When placed on the piano bench, he sat, gently picking at one or two notes, while Minerva explained his case to Ms. Shaylander. By the time the conversation was wrapping up, the toddler gained more confidence. Teddy had ambled up to the piano and started to clumsily push a few of the keys as well. The dissonance produced by his brother clearly angered Deus, for within a few minutes Teddy found himself on the floor a few meters away, and Deus was making the piano play a clean, bright Mozart sonata to clear the air. The witch stood up, gazing a bit open-mouthed at the child.

"I'll do it," She muttered to Minerva, ignoring her relief entirely as she moved to watch the child manipulate the piano.

/*\/*\/*\

A triumphant Minerva paraded into Inverngeldie that night. The two boys had exhausted themselves with the excitement, but they were both incredibly happy. Minerva and Albus washed them and put them to bed, and then both adults gathered in the smaller study to enjoy the fire and a warming Scotch Whiskey.

"How did it go?" Albus grinned.

"Very, very well!" Minerva sighed, sinking into his intoxicating embrace. "Clara says that he does have magical talent. But she says that only time will tell if he is capable of physically playing as well. She plans to work from the basics upwards, teach our son that he has to play the notes with his hands as well as his magic. I told her she could easily end up with a frustrated child. But apparently, she said she's dealt with this kind of thing before. She said she's never seen a child able to magically play the music Deus does, but apparently, he's right at the level he should be for muggle performance."

"Do you now share my confidence in her abilities?" Albus murmured as he kissed her lavender-smelling hair.

"Mmmm, I believe so, darling." She tilted upwards to kiss his cheek. "You know, our children are terribly talented."

"Why yes, they are, my dear." He grinned. There was nothing quite so warming as taking pride in his fledgling family.

"We have a fighter, a musician…" Minerva murmured, her lips drifting over his face. "One wonders what the next child will be…" Here Albus abruptly arrested her progress.

"Next one? Minerva… are you…?" His eyes could not possibly have been any wider.

"Not yet!" With that she pulled him down to her and began an in-depth exploration of his Scotch-coated mouth.

/*\/*\/*\

On September 23rd, 1949, Minerva McGonagall Dumbledore and Albus McGonagall Dumbledore welcomed a serene, red-headed daughter into the clan. Daphne Cerridwen McGonagall Dumbledore greeted the world with quiet, knowing emerald eyes, and instantly won the hearts of all in attendance.


	5. Sonatina

A/N: I promise to start updating my regularly. I have all my writing on a regularly schedule now so hopefully I will be more consistent now!

Over the next five years, Amadeus studied music religiously. Eda became an expert at using _Muffliato_ on the Conservatory, where Amadeus would entertain himself for hours at the time on weekends. During their weeks at Hogwarts, the children were carefully taught the basics of a solid education. Albus and Minerva, between the duties of their various jobs and research educated the children in mathematics, history, science, literature, and composition. Eda helped them practice for hours on end. But she also supervised their hours of leisure and play. There were a few children with whom they could interact regularly: the Prewetts had twins around Amadeus' age, the Bones had a little girl a year older than Daphne. Both of the families had been in the Auror office and served with Albus and Minerva in the Siege of Berlin. They knew of their marriage, and also knew of their children. Outside of Poppy, the Dumbledores and the McGonagall clan, they were the only people to know the truth of the children's lineage.

With Deus approaching seven years old, Clara instructed his parents to give him a few chances to perform for a public audience. At her age, the elderly woman had connections in a home for aging witches and wizards. Most of them had been out of touch with wizarding social circles, and thus would not question Minerva's "nephew". In addition, they were a very forgiving audience. And because he was still performing within the magical community, he would be able to play with both his magic and his physical abilities. Minerva assented, and a plan was set for an older wizard's home in the outskirts of London. It was quite a trek, but Minerva felt that only added to the security of the event. Albus came, wanting to show his support for the boy as Minerva's "friend". Deirdre and Neptune were in attendance as Amadeus' parents.

The home was very quiet. There were a few disinterested nurses who had clearly been working with the elderly far too long to question any visitors that might actually come into the home. About a dozen witches and wizards in various states of napping filled the parlor where the piano resided. Clara had declined to come, saying she had _intimately_ known one or two of the wizards and witches in residence, and didn't want to risk running into them again. Deus sat on the bench, looking a bit terrified by hum of snoring that encircled the room. As encouragement, Teddy smiled and gave him thumbs up. As soon as he depressed a single key on the piano, the young musician flinched. Even the adults cringed a bit. The instrument was clearly well out of tune. However, before any other witch or wizard could seek remedy to the situation, Deus kicked the underside of the piano with his tiny foot, and sound was magically straightened. His nerves were dispersed by that kick as well, and he instantly fell deep into his work.

The two couples sat sat, enraptured the entire twenty minutes, simply listening to the child play Mozart, Bach, Chopin, and Mendelssohn. The music started out as a few simpler Chopin Preludes, and a Clementi Sonatina, all played with his tiny little hands. But as Deus' confidence built, and his energy warmed and spread, the string began to resound with a Fugue (his favorite, the one he played before his birth), a Chopin Etude, and finished with a invigorating finale to a Mozart Piano Concerto, with the boy summoning the accompaniment from thin air. Daphne slept through the entire thing, as did half the elderly audience. But those who were awake cheered feebly at the end of the piece. Deus jumped up onto the bench and bowed from his elevated platform. The family quickly thanked the staff of the home, whose usually ambivalent looks now showed a hint of interest, and returned to Invergeldie, where they celebrated with Deus' favorite meal: bannocks.

After the meal, the family settled into their usual weekend pursuits. Albus, who had gone through most of his grading and paperwork the night before, spent the earlier part of the evening with Neptune continuing to teach Teddy the finer points of chess. For an eight year old, the boy had a remarkably advanced grasp of tactics and strategies. Deirdre had a particularly sick Hippogriff she was treating. Deus decided to put to use some paints he had received for the previous Christmas. However, with Eda off-duty and Minerva distracted with her latest piece of editing for _Transfiguration Today_, Deus' creativity happen to involve painting his little sister. By the time Minerva bothered to look up from her notes, Daphne was eye-balls deep in paint, with bright red, green and yellow swirling indiscriminately over her formerly white dress and equally pale skin.

"Mama!" He grinned, a bit of blue paint marking that terribly mischievous sparkle he inherited with his father's eyes. "Daffy's so pretty!"

Minerva leapt into action. By this time, these sorts of shenanigans were almost expected in the McGonagall Dumbledore household. "Deus, you are only to paint on the paper! You know you are not to paint anywhere else, lad!" Minerva's tone was so stern, and her eyes so intensely scolding, Daphne began to cry, "And don't cry, _bairn_," She _scourgified _the girl before picking her up. "Deus is right, you are very pretty! You just don't need paint to show that." She glared at her son before taking his hand. She bathed the two younger children and put them to bed.

As she tucked the covers around Daphne, and the little girl snuggled her bunny closer, Minerva was overcome with love for the child. The McGonagall Dumbledore family had found a wonderful, but precarious balance between work life and family time. There were many days that it bordered on sheer impossibility. But moments like this, when Minerva could simply revel in the warmth, beauty and security of her family, made it seem like a small price to pay for such an inestimable fortune. She kissed the tiny red head good night. As she was leaving the room, she met her raven-haired child yawning sleepily as he traipsed up from his first chess victory. Warmed by a comforting joie de vivre, Minerva drifted back to the study to find Albus and Neptune deep into a rather bloody chess game. Minerva came to sit by Albus' side.

"No fair helping him!" Neptune whined in a mock-childish voice. "I know you could whip the both of us without even looking at the board, Minerva!"

She grinned tauntingly, but held her hands up in a sign of truce. After another hour of the game, Neptune emerged victorious.

"Am I not to win _any_ games tonight?" He moaned, flopping back into his overstuffed chair with comedic emphasis.

"Darling, you've won me! Aren't I enough to handle?" Minerva chided, lasciviously, placing a teasing kiss on his cheek.

At that very moment, Deirdre came into the study. She had a small cut on her cheek, but she looked very pleased.

"He's doing much better!" She crowed. She down next to Neptune, "Darling, do you think we ought to tell Albus and Minerva about the…?" She raised her eyebrows meaningfully.

"Neptune? What are you hiding?" Minerva leaned forward.

"Now? Right now?" He flushed a bit.

"Good news, Neptune?" Albus perked up from his mock defeat.

"Yes, right now! We daren't wait longer!" Deirdre was starting to get excited, "Any longer, and it will be as plain as the adorable nose on your face!"

"Dear Merlin, are they ever going to tell us?" Minerva whimpered, falling back against her husband

"I don't think so, we had better give it up as a lost cause and have a good snog instead!" Albus leaned into her, lips extended in a loud pucker.

"ALL RIGHT!" Neptune shouted, abruptly, blushing so deeply his face seemed afire. "Go ahead, Deirdre." Albus and Minerva leaned forward with anticipation.

"We're going to have a baby!" Deirdre exclaimed. The congratulations and celebrating kept the couples up into the wee hours of the morning.

/*\/*\/*\

The recitals became a regular habit. Occasionally the Prewetts or the Bones would attend, uncle Aberforth even made an appearance once. Deus became stronger in his technique, and more confident in his performance. Each concert was a little longer.

It was in the middle of one of these concerts that the McGonagall child decided to begin his entrance. It was November 21st, and Deirdre was a week away from her due date. She insisted on going, however, but by the end of the concert, she was holding Neptune's hand so tightly, he cried out in pain. It was later discovered she had fractured his hand. As soon as they made it back to Invergeldie, her water broke. Just after breakfast the next day, Mars Ervin McGonagall was born. He was the picture of a McGonagall child with a full head of black hair and the heather-grey eyes of his father and grandmother. Minerva and Albus had a healthy, very curious nephew. Deirdre did not fare as well. Despite her hearty attitude and resilient spirit, she remained bed-ridden for a week after the birth. Poppy explained that Deirdre was simply a bit small to deliver children. She had very nearly had to perform a Muggle operation to remove the child. But Deirdre stubbornly insisted on her own way, even in the midst of her excruciating, prolonged delivery. It had definitely taxed her health quite heavily. But she was determined to get back on her feet, and by Christmas she and the babe were both enthusiastic participants in the celebrations. Poppy and Euripides, her husband for four years now, Aberforth, the five members of the McGonagall Dumbledore household, and the three members of the McGonagall clan made merry at the end of the year.


	6. Lacrimosa

The next several years did everything in their power to challenge the stable, comfortable routine established by the McGonagall Dumbledore household.

First, Karf, the faithful head house elf, died quite peacefully shortly after Daphne's seventh birthday in September of 1956. The entire McGonagall clan felt the loss and mourned for him. He had been a spectacular servant to the family, and an impeccable manager of the household. His replacement, Durric, while equally charming, was not quite as capable as the practiced Karf had been.

Second, Albus was required to spend more and more time at Hogwarts. Headmaster Armando Dippet had fallen terribly ill with a nasty strain of pneumonia. Many speculated that as his age and health, it would be his final illness. Since Albus was the Deputy Headmaster, he gracefully picked up Armando's workload. But his family life was forfeit in this bargain. Therefore, when Armando Dippet did, in fact, pass away in late November of that year, Albus was not seen around Invergeldie for a month. He was saddled with the extraneous burden of filling his old teaching post. Thus, he reviewed stacks of letters of inquiry and CVs, only to find four qualified candidates. He turned said applications over to the Board of Governors and was deeply shocked to later find that one of the people he had submitted was his wife. The Board felt very strongly about Minerva's application and encouraged him to hire her at once. She later joked to Albus she applied simply in hopes of getting to see him once in a while.

From that moment forward, the McGonagall Dumbledore family moved out of the family manse and permanently occupied their Hogwarts residence. There were a few tears among the family members. Daphne had grown quite fond of little Mars, and he threw quite a tantrum at her departure. During her visits to the estate, Daphne had always served as her assistant, especially when potions were involved. There was nothing the little red-head loved more than bobbing around a briskly sizzling cauldron, helping to measure and pour in ingredients. And all three of the children loved to explore the grounds, hiking under Eda's supervision. They would no longer have such an abundance of that particular luxury. The children knew they would occasionally visit on weekends, but from this moment forward, their parents would not be able to spend as much time on the estate as had been their custom. The holidays became an incredibly rushed and busy time. They were only able to have a family celebration in Invergeldie on Christmas Eve. As per Theseus' request, they did come back to the mansion for his birthday.

He received his Hogwarts letter that morning, to the surprise of none and the relief of all. Later that day, in the middle of cake, the third tremor to their consistent routine arrived in the form of an announcement:

"We're going to have a second child!" Deirdre chirped, her energy seeming to multiply in the state of motherhood.

"The baby is due in June." Neptune beamed, wrapping a mighty arm around his wife.

"Good thing we left the house, looks like you two may need the room, the way you're carrying on!" Albus joked, Minerva blushed and glared at her husband, but Deirdre and Neptune chuckled.

/*\/*\/*\

The rest of the school year seemed determined to pass by at twice the rate of the first half. Minerva finally got a handle on her numerous academic duties, including those of Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor. The children and Eda began exploring the extensive grounds, taking care to avoid being seen after the students were out of classes. Teddy's usual braggadocio was nearly insufferable now that he had received his Hogwarts letter. He paraded around the family apartment, carrying stacks of books, pretending to prepare for his future classes. Deus and Daffy would merely roll their eyes; behind his back, however, Deus had composed a comedic, pompous march that perfectly matched his strutting. The two younger children would whistle the melody to each other during Teddy's more intolerable moments.

As for extracurricular activities, Deus continued to play his Saturday concerts once a month. Usually, Eda and his siblings were the only ones in attendance by this time. His performance was growing stronger every day. However, his teacher was not. Clara had grown to an age where she and death were well acquainted and were preparing to take a rather pleasant journey together in the near future. She had no intention of taking her own life, but instinctively knew her time was nigh. Deus was the last pupil she retained, and she only continued to teach him at the moment because she knew his parents were far too preoccupied to seek out another instructor. Even so, Ms. Shaylander pulled together a list of acceptably talented teachers she knew would be capable of handling the lad. She meant to give it to Minerva the next time the witch took her nephew to lessons. But the house elf seemed to be the only one making appearances at this point. She kept the list by the piano, for the opportune moment.

Teddy had developed rather an obsession with Quidditch. His mother and father permitted him to attend games with them, he even had his own Gryffindor scarf in support of his mother's house. He persuaded Eda to take them out to watch at least one house team practice per week.

Daphne, in the mean time, had show signs of magic shortly after birth, like her oldest brother. But after her initial signs, she rarely acted as her brothers had: she never flouted her magic, never pretended to play "wands", and generally led her parents to suspect that they might have merely imagined any initial magic in the child. She did have an unsettling habit of eating anything and everything she found out on their hikes. More than once, Eda had found her stuffing a poisonous leaf into her tiny mouth. She would get upset when arrested in her work, insisting that she "knew how to make the bad leaves go away on her own!". Eda never let her prove that theory when she could help it. But one day, while the children were taking an early morning walk by the Quidditch pitch, her brothers apprehended her halfway through a stalk of wolfsbane. They tried to rush her back to the castle where the school Matron could take save her. But she quickly popped a small rock into her mouth from her pocket and smiled at them.

"I'm all better!" She grinned.

"What in Merlin's name was that, Daffy?" Teddy roared, his adrenaline still pumping. He glared at the little girl who held out another stone from her pocket.

"Oooo! You said Merin's name!" Deus bounced on his toes. His brother was examining the rock

"Shut it, Deus! What is this thing?" Teddy demanded. He wasn't entirely convinced she was out of danger.

"It's a beezer!" Daphne beamed, proud to show off the word. "Uncle Abe gave it to me! He found me eating plants one day, and said if I ate a piece of this afterwards, I could eat whatever I want!"

"Ah! A bezoar!" Deus smiled. "Let me see!"

"You know, Daffy." Teddy was not quite ready to stop being the lecturing older brother, "You still need to be careful what plants you eat! Some of them can kill you faster than you can swallow this!"

But the child was all ready skipping back to the castle, completely ignoring their awed, puzzled expressions.

/*\/*\/*\

Early on the last Sunday morning in April, Durric burst into the family's residence in Hogwarts. He quickly rallied the family. Minerva followed him back to the mansion immediately with Albus bringing the children as soon as they were dressed. Deirdre had gone after a missing niffler last night, and had had a bad fall.

"I thought she had only broken her ankle!" Neptune wrung his hands, pacing in the entry of the mansion. "But then when I got her into bed, she started having labor pains! The Healers tried to stop it, but they say nothing can be done!"

"It will be all right, dear!" Minerva comforted her older sibling.

As with her first child, Deirdre's labor lasted the entire day, and well into the night. Just before midnight, the child finally arrived, but it had not survived. When the dawn broke, it shone on a house in mourning: Deirdre had died from blood loss a few hours after labor.

Albus, still in a state of energized shock, insisted on teaching classes for Minerva that day. The children stayed at the mansion with their mother so that Eda could keep an eye on Mars.

After breakfast, the children tried to occupy themselves, but they too felt a pervading sadness from the loss of their beloved aunt. Daphne was inconsolable, and had gone to hide in her favorite spot behind a sofa in the conservatory. Deus found her, and instead of speaking, decided to break the silence of the house with music. He played through the most mournful music he could conjure from his nearly exhaustive memory of music. He started with Chopin's Nocturne in E minor. As he continued to work his way through increasingly emotive works by the Polish artist, he began to do something he had never done before. With each note, the light of the room subtly altered, and a more trained wizard would have detected the faintest hint of a charm floating through the air, as a sort of respectful lamentation filled the space. Daphne stayed in her hiding space for the entire three hours he played. Teddy drifted in half way through the Deus' performance. Thus, the McGonagall Dumbledore siblings were the first to witness their brother's extraordinary musical performance.


	7. Polonaise

August 23rd, 1965

Amadeus McGonagall Dumbeldore (under the last name Shaylander, claiming to be Clara's second cousin) was about to make his magical debut playing before 300 witches and wizards in Bletchly hall. This expansion of the Ministry was fairly recent and equipped with the best instruments of the day. Amadeus had been in to practice on the piano several times. He had carefully selected his two hours of repertoire, and spent hours in the company of friends and family, fine-tuning the magical elements of his performance. Even now, the palms of his hands were sweating, and his was having a slightly problem getting a full breath in without feeling dizzy.

At eighteen, Amadeus was an exciting new performer in the wizarding music scene. His most recent piano instructor, Daniel Unser, while barely able to mold and shape the entire scope of Deus' talents, had been able to secure him debut tours and records for both the magical and muggle communities. All through his seven years at Hogwarts, the boy had spent his every spare moment plugging away on a grand piano kept in the room of requirement for his use. While his family would be at quidditch matches, watching the stellar progress of Teddy to Griffindor team captain, Deus would slip unnoticed from the Ravenclaw common room travel to Hogsmead for a lesson from Unser on the piano Aberforth kept in a back room of the Hogs Head. He would play until his entire upper body was too stiff to move, but had to gently refuse offers of pepper-up potion Daffy had just recently learned to brew in her favorite subject.

As soon as "Amadeus Shaylander" received his diploma from Hogwarts, he was released from his parent's stipulation that he finished school before pursuing a musical career. By mid-July, Deus had both of his records out in stores across England, the continent, and America. The sales had been fairly encouraging. Witches and muggle girls the world over were wooed by the flaming red hair and enticing blue eyes of this extraordinary musician. Mr. Unser, now full-time agent, insisted on a full-blown tour of the world. For the magical performances, Deus would be forced to travel all over the world. There were few wizarding communities large enough to provide the audiences necessary to fill the halls they were frequenting. And, Daniel had warned him early on in his training that playing solely for magical audiences (while far more rewarding for a wizard with such extensive magical symphonic abilities) would never pay the bills. Therefore, they drilled every single song he played both in a magical and muggle style.

Deus' confidence never wavered, as he plunged deeper and deeper into an incredibly ambitious career. But at every minor performance and informal concert, his friends, family and occasional strangers would assure him that they had never seen talent on his scale. Thus boosted with confidence, Deus took his first un-shaken breath in several hours, straightened his robes, and flourished onto the stage.

/*\/*\/*\

By the end of 1965, Amadeus Shaylander was a massive sensation in both the wizarding and muggle classical music worlds. His record was at the top of the classical charts, his music was played across the country both on the Wizarding Wireless and the contraption muggles referred to as "radio". His tour had now extended through the rest of the performing season into May. Deus and Daniel were already pulling together works for a second recording. In July of 1966, Deus returned to spend the summer relaxing and polishing work for his next record.

Once again, the McGonagall Dumbledore family had reached a comfortable routine. Minerva and Albus were finally falling into a graceful stride with their academic, political, and research- based work. Thus the entire month of July was a secluded family holiday on the McGonagall estate. It was a wonderful slice of heaven for the largely scattered and over committed Dumbledores. Daphne was free to simply pursue her potions work, with her father's continuous supervision and assistance. Minerva spent hours on her research, and in her spare time helped Teddy perfect his dueling. At the end of the day, they would take an hour to sit enraptured by the latest piece Deus honed. One night, as Deus locked up the piano in the conservatory and walked back to his room, he overheard his parents' quiet conversation.

"Minerva, did you ever think that starting a family would lead to this?" Deus slipped closer to see his parents in the fireside room. Both were wrapped around each other with their backs lazily toward the door. There was no suspicion, there was no watchfulness. They were safe, they were at peace.

"Darling, not in my wildest dreams." Minerva murmured.

"I'm so very proud of all of our children." Albus chuckled, "Though Daphne's got a knack for trying to concoct some incredibly volatile potions. I hope her curiosity never gets the best of her…"

"I'm sure she'll be fine. She's got a good head on her shoulders. As do the rest of our children." Minerva placed a tender kiss on Albus' cheek. Deus ducked back behind the doorway, not wishing to spoil the moment. "I never dreamed Deus' career would take off the way it has. He is exceptionally popular. Do you think he is in danger at all?" Her voice had tightened with worry in a way that Deus wished he could soothe.

"I believe that he is a smart enough wizard, and a strong enough Occlumens to keep his identity protected." Albus sighed. "And I must say, I am exceptionally glad he's touring both in muggle and magical performances. Nothing unites our world like music, my dear. I am proud to have a son who uses it in such a manner."

"As am I!" Minerva lay back against Albus' shoulder. After a moment's silence, she whispered, "I wish Neptune could be here now…"

"I know, my darling, I know." Albus pulled his wife in closer. Deus heard his mother's quiet sniffling and knew it was time to depart.

Neptune had become increasingly brooding and removed from the family since Deirdre's untimely death. His research in charms had led to a position in the Department of Mysteries. He kept a flat in London, and as a result, the family had not seen him since the previous Christmas. Tiny Mars had been whisked away to live with Lydia McCrae, his maternal grandmother. While Lydia loved Neptune and deeply respected the McGonagall clan, the deep depression that had overcome Neptune made him ill-suited to single-parenthood. Outraged, but unable to deny his mother-in-law's accusations, Neptune McGonagall refused to have any further part in the upbringing of his child. He had fiercely loved and protected his wife and son, and to have both taken away, with no recourse, hardened his genial, magnanimous demeanor. This rift had hurt Minerva more deeply than she ever let show.

Despite the absence of Neptune, however, that month progressed rapidly. Before anyone was prepared for it, the month ended, and each were off to pursue their chosen vocations. A vivacious, party-filled London welcomed the new musical hero with open and somewhat lascivious arms.


	8. Nocturn

October 31st, 1969

Amadeus was spending his Saturday night as he usually did: drunk beyond recognition. Saturday evening's performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in America had proved to be incredibly well-received. In fact, the Americans seemed to have rallied obsessively around his performances more than any other place he toured. And as was his wont, being a twenty-two year old attractive man, he was the guest of honor at party after raucous party. Tonight happened to find him at a beach-house in a place called Malibu. And there were floods of attractive, half-dressed people running around.

When he became a concert pianist, his only drive had been music. Honestly, music was the sole driving force for his entire life. He had never been particularly drawn to any of his classes at Hogwarts, he never really bothered to excel in any of them either. His greatest enjoyment, and his deepest burden, came from the music lumbering through the back of his head like a caged beast. It had to be let free, trained to fit proper standards of behavior. But he had no other alternative: his earliest memories, his constant thoughts were all filled with music. It was a sort of parallel oxygen, without which, his mind would have been equally unable to function.

And then, Amadeus went on his first tour. At the tender age of eighteen, he had been busy rubbing elbows and making connections. Deus spent a great deal of time at Galas and opening night banquets. At each event, he was sandwiched between the largest (sometimes literally as well as figuratively) art patrons in the country. They were fantastic people, a bit old, and somewhat one note, but he was delighted with their conversations and interest in his artistry. These dinners were filled with honors, awards, auctions, schmoozing, and airy talk of importance of music to cultures both muggle and magical. Executive directors of symphonies adored him, patrons doted on him, and his agent saw him as the best cash cow this side of 1950. The place he seemed to slip up was interviews. He was very cagey about his past, saying only that he was raised by god parents after his own had died, and that "Aunt Clara" gave him music lessons all throughout his youth. He focused on Ms. Shaylander as his guardian, mentor and inspiration. With the flood of press coverage, painting young Deus as a brooding, mysterious artist, the young man's largest audience suddenly dropped forty years in average age. Eager boyfriends saw this flashy new artist as a romantic date, spell-bound women were desperate to see his troubled, empathetic eyes for themselves. Muggles, wizards, and witches alike were swept off their feet by him.

Mr. Shaylander still went to the splashy events and wooed plenty of donors. But on his second tour, when one of the meet and greets finished at ten in the evening, a young, ambitious reporter grabbed his arm and pulled him off into the night. It was New York, in 1967, the free love, and even more readily proffered drugs were cluttering every party in the Village. At first, the well-bred Dumbledore lad was put off by the loud noise and the overwhelming press of bodies. But eventually, the party scene greatly appealed to him. After his other commitments, he began seeking out the kind of places he knew would provide the entertainment he desired. Deus was by no means out of control, these parties simply provided a distraction from the constant strain of his music. When he was drunk, when he was with a woman, when he was high, the music became an option, something he could control. When on something the people at the party called 'shrooms, he had even been able to turn the music into color without magic. He had stacked all the music up into a solid rainbow wall of blocks of sound. It was liberating to finally be the master of this urge, this drive that had ruled him for his entire life.

So it was, he found himself drinking something Muggles called "Sex on the Beach" while contemplating which of the bikini-clad women he could get to perform that very act in Malibu, California. He as up on the top deck of the house, swirling his drink, and narrowing the running down to three women, when a ruffled-looking owl alighted on the railing next to him. Instantly, his wizard's protectiveness kicked in, and he snapped the envelope from the owl, nearly offered him a drink, through better of it, and tossed him a cracker from a nearby plate instead. The messenger was gone before any of the equally inebriated guests noticed. The message was from his mother, therefore crisp and to the point.

_October 31__st__, 1969_

_Dearest Deus:_

_I realize you are otherwise occupied with your exceptional career, but we have missed you at the family home these past two years. You have missed the birth of your youngest sister, and have yet to even meet Daphne's lover. Indeed, it seems that the last time you were on the family grounds was two years ago July for Theseus and Sedna's wedding. _

_This brings me to my primary reason for this missive. Sedna gave birth to a baby girl this morning: Damara Freya Circe McGonagall Dumbledore. Your brother and his wife are parents, and you are an uncle. I know that your tour is planned out for this year all ready. I am certain you made little provision for visits home. But as your mother, I must say that my deepest wish for this holiday season is to have all five of my children around the table this year. _

_I have enclosed a photograph Teddy wished me to give you. He sends his best wishes, and congratulates you on becoming uncle of the most beautiful bairn in all the magical world. We miss you all, dearly. _

_With much love, _

_Minerva M. McGonagall_

Deus examined the photograph. It was a quick, bouncing snapshot of Theseus with his tiny family. Sedna's blond hair fell in an elegant curtain, and Teddy kept pulling it back to get a better look at the baby. The child had Sedna's grey eyes, and an unruly dusting of McGonagall raven crowned her head. Deus knew his brother very well, and he could see that Teddy had never been more proud or content in his life. Deus felt a pang at having missed such a crucial part of his brother's life. He had received a letter from the Auror wishing him happy birthday back in July. It had mentioned something about a baby, but in truth, Deus didn't spend much time actually doing more than skimming.

Scrunching the letter in his hand, he found the hostess, said good night, and walked off into the sand dunes. When he was alone, he Aparated to his hotel room. Immediately, he sent off an owl ordering a bouquet of flowers of Sedna, another ordering a fine bottle of Scotch whiskey for Theseus, and then stayed up into the morning recording forty minutes of lullabies for his new niece.

/*\/*\/*\

When Mr. Unser woke the next morning, he found a note taped to the door of his room in the suite:

_Unser:_

_Must clear my schedule December 25__th__, January 1__st__ and January 6__th__. An urgent family matter has come up. _

_-Deus_

_P.S. Why haven't we recorded an album of lullabies yet?_


	9. Intermezzo

February 17th, 1971

Deus, along with the rest of the Dumbledore McGonagall household, was fighting sleep desperately. It was now very nearly midnight, and Poppy had made no predictions regarding the arrival of the newest Dumbledore. Sedna had gone into labor just after lunch. She was healthy, and they were both doing quite well, according to Madam Pomfrey's hourly reports, but Deus' nephew apparently intended to rival his sister in stubborn behavior. Damara had been put to bed long ago, lulled to sleep by Uncle Deus' lullabies. The adults were now left to pace the study, waiting for any news. Albus and Neptune tried to beguile the time with a half-hearted game of chess. Euripides, Sedna's father Bragi, and Ariadne, Daphne's girlfriend were all discussing international Quidditch teams. Bragi was a very strong fan of the Nordic team, but as the seeker for the Montrose Magpies, about to go out for the National team of Britain, Ariadne had rather strong feels about his preferences. Euripides, who had very little interest in Quidditch, was merely trying to prevent an open fight. Deus was toying with a composition he had been laboring over for the past month.

Since becoming an uncle, a few subtle changes had taken place in Deus' life. He became a more regular occupant of his home country, both in his London apartment and the family home in Invergeldie. His tour schedule had been thinned out to the essentials, with the heavier touring seasons skirting around any holidays. His fanbase was still quite strong, and he had a full roster of students because of it. All these things kept him very well supported. He continued to record albums and tour with great classical works. But he had recently started putting serious work into writing his own music. He found that he could not quite connect to the music of others on as deep a level as the improvisational sessions he started a few years ago. Finally, his manager suggested he start making compositions from his improvisation. It would take another year or two, but Deus dreamed of eventually releasing an album and touring with his own original compositions. He had two solid songs for the album, after six months of work.

Looking for distractions he glanced around the room. His uncle Neptune was in a foul mood. Ever since Deirdre died, childbirth had always driven him to a particularly dark melancholy. But Deus also knew that his uncle was trying to reconnect with his estranged son, Mars. The boy was in his seventh year at Hogwarts. Like his mother, he had a special interest in magical creatures, and wanted to study abroad in his field after graduation. Neptune was desperately attempting to establish a relationship with Mars before that happened. His efforts were not as well-received as he would have hoped.

Over on the other side of the room, the debate was subsiding into exasperated gestures and disgusted sighs with Euripides desperately fishing for the next conversation. Deus smirked at the arrangement of the room. He was deeply fond of Ariadne. The twenty-two year old Quidditch player meshed impeccably with the rest of the family. He had seen her around Hogwarts, and maybe even spotted her on the Quidditch pitch the few times he was forced to make an appearance. Her flyaway brown hair and sharply green eyes held the same flash and verve as his sister's. They were both so young and excited about life. After his exhausting week, he felt a slight tinge of envy at their energy. And while he had yet to see such a thing happen, Deus secretly wished for the day he could see Ariadne and his mother go toe-to-toe in an argument. The young witch was very opinionated, and gave little heed to where her disagreements fell. He privately suspected that this wiry, snappy little lady might actually best his mother if it came down to it. Until that theory could be proven, he would simply stand by, an avid spectator of her off the field challenges.

With nothing less than fatigued resignation, Deus resumed his incessant etching of music to parchment.

/*\/*\/*\

In Sedna and Theseus' room upstairs, the atmosphere was equally tense. This tension, however, freely flowed in the volume of noise in the room. This particular suite of rooms was equally crowded as the study downstairs. Minerva and Eir were on either side of the large bed, encouraging Sedna with each contraction. Teddy sat next to his wife, and desperately held her hand, wishing that his efforts could somehow provide a swifter end to her struggle. Poppy and Daphne were conferring at the end of the bed. Close to the end of her Healer's training, Sedna and Poppy had agreed to allow Daphne to observe the delivery. Daphne had even brewed, under heavy supervision, Sedna's pain-relieving potions.

Meanwhile, Sedna was her typical sedate, majestic self, despite the prolonged arrival of her son. She had been through this entire process once before, knew the awe and wonder of the end result, and was perfectly willing to savor the anticipation that was building before this moment. Indeed, as the parent of a toddler, this labor had been the longest, uninterrupted stretch of time she had devoted to anything in the past eighteen months. Earlier in the evening, she had had a lovely chance to simply talk with Teddy. Between the arrival of their daughter less than two years ago and the rising pressure in the Auror office at Voldemort's rise, the two had hardly a minute to themselves at work or home. Their weeks were spent in the cozy London flat they had purchased. Damara went to the Ministry child-care three times a week, while Theseus worked part-time in the Auror Department. Both Sedna and Theseus were deeply devoted to their careers, but Sedna had advanced quite quickly to a high level of responsibility. Thus, it was agreed that Teddy would stay with the children and work part-time until they were able to have a house-elf baby-sit them during the day. The nursery was prepared for the new arrival, their child-care plans were arranged, everything was perfectly, impeccably planned. Such calm, clear-headed organization was part of Sedna's popularity in the Auror department.

After another contraction, during which Poppy promised that it couldn't be more than another hour, Sedna was still filled with the same sense of peace and calm that had flowed through the entire labor process.

/*\/*\/*\

Minerva was nearly ready to explode. She had sat by her daughter-in-law's bed for the past several hours. Everything was far too calm. It may have simply been the stress of the moment, and the anticipation of the impending arrival, but Minerva knew that more than one impetus was at play on her jangled nerves.

First, this was another grandchild to worry about. Voldemort was clearly moving, and tragically aware of the exact extent of the Duembledore-McGonagall family. Sedna and Teddy's marriage began in battle, and she was terrified that the growth of their family made them more vulnerable to attack. Never the less, she loved her granddaughter very dearly. But she would have to insist that Teddy take a house-elf as a nanny, if nothing else than to protect the children more thoroughly. And on top of their family, both Sedna and Teddy were rapidly climbing ranks in the Auror office, making them both higher profile targets for Dark Wizards than ever before. These thoughts stole hours of sleep each night.

And Neptune was in a terrible state. Mars had finally, after two years of cajoling, been persuaded to spend Christmas at the McGonagall estate. He had seemed to enjoy himself, despite occasional fights with his father. But now, a more recent dispute drove him to silent scorn his father all together. It was a very trying time, not only for Minerva's poor, melancholic brother, but for the entire family. They had loved the boy when he was living on the estate, and were eager to have him back in the family. The tension of that situation alone had her nerves raw.

Deus was also gaining prominence in the musical world. It was only a matter of time before someone uncovered his true background, and that could lead to incessant revelations that would send her family to the altar of public commentary. Daphne was making noises about proposing to Ariadne, and another wedding was the last kind of stress Minerva needed at the moment. To top all of these worries off, Minerva and Albus had two children under the age of five. While the first one had been rather unplanned, the second had seemed a necessity. They were both incredibly gifted, magically, just as their other siblings had been. But this made them an exceptional handful. Poor Professor McGonagall felt herself at the breaking point.

So it was, half an hour later, when Sedna finally started the pushing stage of labor, Minerva's encouragements were louder than the yells of the woman in labor.

At the end of it all, Wotan Thanatos Brian McGonagall Dumbledore became another great joy in her life, and worry for her soul.


	10. Etude

October 1st, 1979

Deus was in the middle of this fifth world tour. His first album of original compositions had been a smash-hit with the Classical music industry. He was now touring with work from his most recent Opus, a piano concerto, and two sonatas. In Muggle settings, this meant partnering with symphony orchestras across the globe. It had taken a lot of work on the part of Unser, his faithful agent, but once booked, tickets for his performances sold like no other. At thirty-two, he was incredibly dashing. His soulful, brooding eyes continued to lure in waves of devoted followers. For the opening of his tour, he started with Bletchly Hall, the site of his debut. His family entire family was in attendance: Father, Mother, Saturn, Echo, Teddy, Sedna, Damara, Wotan, Daphne, Ariadne, and their three year old twins Artemis and Tantalus.

A scant orchestra of magically magnified instruments would later take up half the stage, but for the moment, the chairs lacked musicians. Deus planned to open with his sonatas and finish with the roar of the concerto. Elegantly, he glided out to the piano and took a quick, courteous bow to wild applause. After a minute, he gracefully stepped up to take another bow, and sat back at the bench, this time to utter silence and anticipation. The first sonata was a very specially crafted gift for his mother. It was nearly her fifty fifth birthday. The song he played was filled with allusions folk music of the Highlands, and had the rolling, wind-swept feel of his ancestral home. While the sonata and its movements bore no official name, Minerva could easily identify different portions of the work with stretches of the family lands.

As Deus started to play, the room became completely dark, with one light rising slowly behind the piano. As the pianist was thrown into silhouette, the stark notes of the music seemed to portray a misty cold morning. As the piece grew in scope, the darkness was exchanged for a warm green, with a smell of damp earth in the air. The piece finished with swirls of wind rushing about the auditorium as a purple and grey haze was cast on the stage. The second piece began as a slow andante, with a steady modulation of broken chords streaming through the bass. Minerva and Albus exchanged glances. In their _legilimency_ agreed that this piece reminded them most of the glade where Albus had proposed to Minerva. The song continued in its slow, soothing tone, leaving the auditorium completely still, save for the subtle variation of the lavender and grey color that now filled the auditorium. The final movement was a briskly dancing allegro with occasional whiffs of heather and an emphasis on broad blue light filling the room.

The second work was a four-movement sonata, with one movement for each of his sibilings. Obviously, given the clandestine nature of his true family, the movements were not named, but the family had long ago identified each piece with a clan member. Deus neither confirmed nor denied their assumptions. They were not in birth order at all, but did begin with what was generally agreed to be Teddy's movement. It was a strong, victorious moderato. The chords were very solid, and the movement was straightforward with few surprises. A red and gold lighting scheme marched through the piece. Already, the subtle three note pattern, that sewed the movements together, could be picked out. The second movement was much more quiet and demure than the first, choosing the higher registers to pick a delicately trailing and almost spindly melody. It was largely agreed among the family that this movement represented Echo's love for Herbology, especially because Deus usually played it set to green lighting. The third movement seemed to bubble and stew up from the lower registers of the keyboard. Many parallel octaves gave the impression of a great energy. The rapidly building piece exploded in a burst of purple light and whipped back around to the beginning, finishing with low, tapering simmer. The family attributed this work to Daphne's potions studies. The final movement could almost have been dry had it not contained moments of dissonant poignancy. The hall filled with a warm, orange glow similar to the way the light fell through the tall windows of the library at Invergeldie. Thus the last movement reflected Saturn's love of tradition, history, and classical literature. Accordingly, the sonata finished in the strongest of classical traditions, with the most solid of chord progressions. The McGonagall family mode was heard to resonate through the bass at the very end.

Deus finished to wild applause. After a brief intermission, the concerto began. It was a fantastic piece, with the standard three movement, sonata-allegro form. The first movement was a moderate pompous introduction of the theme and key, the second a slow, dignified, soothing berceuse. The final movement was a celebratory piece crammed with joie de vivre. Each piece was accompanied by nuanced colors that reflected the movement of each part of the orchestra. The room gave Deus their rapt attention. When the finale resounded through the arched ceilings, the audience leapt to their feet in frenetic delight. A short encore was coaxed from Deus, a tiny waltz dedicated to Damara, his favorite niece, when she started dancing lessons. Sated, the hordes pressed out into the reception hall to shake Deus' hand endlessly.

/*\/*\/*\

June 30th, 1980

Amadeus Shaylander's final performance happened at the Ravinia Music Festival just north of the Muggle city Chicago in America. The lawn and pavilion were filled for his performance. He was stretching his legs in the hour before the performance, when suddenly, another incredibly weary owl dropped to the ground in front of him. Deus snatched up the owl and carried him to a secluded corner. After the messenger released his message, Deus sent him to a nearby tree to rest. The letter was in his mother's handwriting, but the parchment was sealed with black wax. Hastily, Deus ripped open the letter. If the owl looked his exhausted, and his mother had used a black seal, the letter would have bad news, very bad news. Suddenly, Deus realized his settings, and stopped to consider if he should proceed. Ripping open the letter right there would mean that he would almost surely have to perform. If it was news about his family, he could not use it as an excuse to end the performance. That would require an explanation of who his family was, after he had told both Muggle and magical press he was without a single living family member. But the letter would be weighing on him his entire performance. He took the gamble, opened the letter to find this cryptic message:

_Deus: _

_You must come home immediately. There is something you must know that I cannot send via owl. _

_Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

Nearly as soon as he finished this first missive, a second owl arrived. The writing on the back said: _To be delivered after Ravinia Performance. _This letter came from Dan Unser. Even though it was fairly standard for Dan to send him owls with congratulations after a performance, Deus had a large suspicion this letter contained more than just the usual accolades. Ignoring the warning, he quickly opened this parchment. A news clipping from the envelope as he pulled out the letter. It was from the Daily Prophet, with a headline that read, "Theseus McNair, Head of the Auror Department, Wife Sedna, and Two Children Murdered". His mind instantly went numb. He couldn't feel anything. He tried to process it, but every fiber of his being resisted. Teddy couldn't be dead. Deus had seen him less than two weeks ago at Echo's birthday party. And Damara, his favorite little niece, would have just gotten home from Hogwarts. She could not possible be buried in the horrible rubble pictured on the cover of the prophet. With shaking fingers, he opened the letter from Unser:

_Deus:_

_I hope this reaches you after Ravinia. I could not cancel the venue on such short notice without questions. Rest assured, the remainder of your tour has been canceled. I will handle all the negotiations necessary. Please, go be with your family. _

_Condolences, _

_Dan Unser_

It was short, professional, just as Unser typically dealt. Deus realized that he was in a terrible predicament. He had to pull himself together, suppress the grief and shock, and pull off one last stunning performance. He had to go out on the stage, and give the concert he had given fifty times already this tour. But he had to do so with the knowledge that his brother was dead. It was his own fault; he had read the owls before the performance. There was nothing to do but put on his enchanting, brooding performer's visage, and woo one more audience.

An assistant Stage Manager came to find him. He followed, dutifully brushing off his suit, running a hand through his fly-away auburn curls, and dabbing a handkerchief subtly over his glistening blue eyes. They stopped at the stage door. Audiences were preemptively applauding his entrance. Amadeus Alaric Dumbledore McGonagall took a deep breath, and stepped through the open stage door for the final performance of his musical career.


	11. Dies Irae

If anyone had bothered to scrounge up the Ministry court records for late July of 1980 (and more than one scurrilous person did), they would have noted several strange proceedings that made Amadeus Shaylander's trial vastly different from normal inquiries conducted by the ministry. First, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, intervened on behalf of the musician to request a small, confidential inquest. Secondly, Dumbledore himself agreed to serve witness for the boy, along with Minerva McGonagall, and of all the random appointments, Daphne Valerian, a potion brewer at St. Mungo's. The three members of the Wizengamot were sworn to secrecy, and aside from the three aforementioned witnesses, and the accused, were the only people present at the trial. All transcripts from the event have been protected by spells not even Voldemort's lackeys could manage to circumnavigate. The only element of the trial that was made public knowledge was the sentence. It was actually listed as a headline in the Sunday edition of the _Daily Prophet_:

_**Shaylander Banned from Public Performance**_

_After his absolutely stunning explosion during a Muggle performance outside of Chicago, young Amadeus Shaylander is officially banned from future public performance by the Ministry of Magic. In a hush-hush trial, the three members of the Wizengamot decreed that the beloved musician would no longer be allowed to perform for Muggle or Magical audiences. But all is not lost for his dedicated fans, he is still able to produce and sell recordings of his work to the Magical community. _

_Mr. Shaylander was a wildly popular classical pianist and composer. From the tender age of eighteen, he traveled the globe performing for sold-out houses both Magical and Muggle. He received critical acclaim on many fronts. First, he was a renowned performer of classical repertoire both solo and concert. He also received accolade for his numerous recordings of these classical works. Recently, however, he had become most widely recognized for his exceptional albums of new music. His self-composed albums were the toast of symphonies from London to Sydney, Vienna to New York. He recently ended his tour for his second album of original work. Cont. pg. 4_

_Cont. from Cover Story For those of you that haven't paid attention to news from the past month, "Deus", as he is known to his fans, was scheduled to perform a Muggle concert on June 30th at Ravinia, a popular Muggle summer venue. Those of you familiar with his work will know that he gives modified performances for Muggles, eliminating all use of his extraordinary magical abilities to project colors and set the mood. However, at this particular concert, He sat down at the piano to give quite a different performance. He got through the first sonata with no difficulty and no irregularities in his performance. However, the very first movement of the second sonata triggered something for him. About a minute into the militaristic movement, he broke down, crying. The few wizards and witches in attendance who did not require memory modification testify that he continued his performance for another full minute. Quite suddenly, the piano exploded, and the entire stage erupted in flames. Deus could be heard to yell from the middle of the inferno, but our witnesses were unable to make out what he had said. It is estimated that nearly three thousand Muggles required memory modification after the event. The Ministry, working with the American Bureau of Magic, were able to contain the affair, and there was no further contamination in the Muggle media. _

_A severe backlash was anticipated in the Magical community. Shaylander was a popular performer, but many questioned his mingling with Muggles performance in the first place. However, Merlin seems to be on Mr. Shaylander's side. We could only find out that Albus Dumbledore, a great fan of classical music and Mr. Shaylander, intervened on his behalf. The trial will air no details about the proceedings, but we do know that they settled on the lenient side of justice. If anyone else had caused an incident requiring that many memory modifications, the only music they would be making would be screams from their cell in Azkaban. Our congratulations to Mr. Shaylander on his victory, and we would __**love**__ to get the name of his lawyer. _


	12. Agnus Dei

August at Invergeldie was a tragically quiet time. Deus' legal troubles had finally been put to rest. But he remained on the estate to pull together a plan for his future career. Neptune and Mercury left on a year-long exploration of magical creatures in Patagonia. Poppy and Euripides had come up both to help the grieving family and to grieve alongside them. They had both returned to St. Mungo's the last week in July. Sedna's parents, Eir and Bragi, had come and gone for the services as well. They had packed up their anguish and grief the first week in July, returning to Oslo. Daphne, Ariadne, and the twins were down in London for the start of Quidditch season. Daphne and Ariadne had offered to take Saturn and Echo down with them. It would be a short holiday for the children before they both returned to Hogwarts. Both Minerva and Albus fiercely resisted: they wanted to keep all of their remaining children as close as possible. Poppy intervened, insisting that Minerva was on the verge of a complete emotional and physical breakdown, and needed complete peace and quiet to recover.

So it was, Deus found himself in the vast chambers of the family home with no one but the infinitely busy house elves, and his mourning parents for company. All during the month of July, Deus had avoided touching a piano. It was the longest he had ever gone without touching piano keys. His relationship with the instrument and his art seemed broken and bitter. His skill, his power had betrayed him. As a result, he could not bring himself to look a piano in the eye. His parents were completely despondent, and he had little desire for any conversation to begin with. The first day of August, he entered the conservatory, filled with light and welcoming warmth. For the first time in a month, he sat down to play. He played for six hours without stopping. He played everything and anything that came to his mind, sometimes stopping a piece in the middle to jump to another. Whatever his fingers wanted to pound into the keys, he acquiesced. He played until a house-elf interrupted him for tea.

Upon entering the smaller sitting room, he found his parents morose as ever. Father had the desperate glare of a man who has the power to do everything, but the ability to do nothing. Mother was completely withdrawn; she had sunk so far into her own world, she only nodded deafly at any attempts at conversation. Even during the trial, she read from prepared statements, with the most calculated of aloof airs. During the funeral, her eyes had been completely dry. She had, however, fainted during the private memorial service. Deus had seen his mother in this state several times, when Dierdre and Hestia had died, and once or twice around the anniversary of her parent's death. It was the quiet façade over the pain that she kept deep within herself. She would come around, in time. But for now, Deus knew that it was pointless to try and engage her. Minerva McGonagall needed this time for herself. Normally, his father would be the one to slowly coax her into a more active state of existence. However, this time, Albus Dumbledore was equally destroyed by the tragedy. His anger over the attack was bottled into a frustration. Whenever Deus had tried to talk with him, Father would start going over what was assumed to have taken place that night. He was convinced that Teddy and Sedna could have beaten Voldemort or any of his followers even without wands. Over and over again, he would run scenarios to explain how Teddy, the most powerful wizard Father had ever known, could have possibly been killed so easily. None of his calculations and planning mattered though; Teddy, Sedna, Damara and Thanatos were all dead, never to return. This made his incessant review of the scenario more desperate and more pathetic. But what was he to do? The Order of the Pheonix had been formed; Deus, Daphne and Ariadne were all members. But there was nothing they could do to directly attack Voldemort. They were not strong enough to face him in open battle, and no one could predict where he would strike. So Father desperately flailed through every possible thing that could have happened that night, over and over again.

So, when Deus returned to the conservatory after tea, he summoned Durric and instructed him that all his meals were to be brought to the conservatory thereafter. He also gave specific instructions that no one was to enter the room. Deus placed a strong _Colloportus_ on the doors, transfigured a fainting couch into a make-shift bed, and sat down to play again.

For three weeks, he stayed in the conservatory, never once leaving the room. With his meals brought in, he could transfigure or summon anything he needed. He grew a scraggly red beard, and while he occasionally _Scourgified _both his clothing and himself, there was still a faint smell of body odor hanging in the air. Still he continued to pour himself into music. If he wasn't playing the piano, he was writing music or creating voices out of thin air: invisible flutes, harps, violins, trumpets, choirs all summoned by his hand. Every day, a little more of the grief crept into his work. Each note helped him more deeply accept that Teddy was gone. His brother, the boy who adored snow, who would start a fight over anything, who stood up for his beliefs, not matter the cost, was dead. Amadeus would never hear him explode with his voluminous laughter, never be crushed by one of his muscled-ripped arms in a hug, he would never play a waltz for little Damara again. His niece would never dance again. All these things slowly started to pour into his mind and slowly sink in to the woodwork. He would never completely recover: the scars of these thoughts, this pain, would always catch him at odd moments. But at this moment, the music kept the pain from driving him mad. So, Amadeus Allaric Dumbledore McGonagall made music with every fiber of his soul.

/*\/*\/*\

After three weeks, Albus Dumbledore finally stopped. He stopped going over everything. He looked at the copious pile of newspaper clippings and reports that had been the meat of his mental existence since the murders. He realized that no matter what he did, the reports would say the same thing: his son was dead. Albus could not change the agony he felt at those words. He could only embrace it, let it wash over him like a cleansing, drowning wave. But most importantly, he had to move forward. Albus' son was dead, that did not mean that his life was over. Meticulously, Dumbledore rolled up all the parchments, tucked them in a box and shrank the box to fit in the back of his bottom desk drawer. It did not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.

Gathering momentum, Albus hastily zipped through a quick shower, finally giving his personal hygiene much-needed attention. He put on a fresh robe, and full of purpose, headed to the other wing of the mansion. Dumbledore was now a man with a crucial purpose.

Albus found Minerva exactly where he expected to see her: in the long-abandoned nursery. The windows were shuttered, and white sheets were draped across all the baby furniture. Only the rocker was uncovered. There, Dumbledore found his wife. He was alarmed at how much weight she had lost. Even in the feebly flickering light of the candle she had brought with her, he saw that the shadows in her cheeks and eyes were not merely dramatic lighting. The victrola in the corner of the nursery, still covered in its shroud, blared Verdi's Requiem Mass. Albus entered just as the Agnus Dei began. Minerva upheld her customarily blank attitude, staring straight at the cradle before her. Silently, Albus swept her up in his arms, conjured his standard armchair and retreated to the chair, Minerva in his arms. He knew how this sort of pain destroyed her. He knew exactly how she would cope. Most importantly, he knew how to help her.

They stayed in the chair listening to the rest of the Requiem. They alternated between sobbing, drying each other's tears, and holding each other tightly. Everything had changed, life could never be what it had been before the murder of their son. It would be different, a slightly more bitter different. But it would continue. The pain would never go away completely, but they had each other to help bear the agony. It was not a cure, but it was something.

As the final strains of the _Libera Me_ faded from the gramophone, Albus carried Minerva back to their rooms. He would visit Deus in the morning. The Dumbledore McGonagall family would survive.


	13. Apotheosis

The room was coal-dark, with whiffs of a hollowness only brought on by complete expenditure. Twenty-one days, twelve hours and thirty-eight minutes Amadeus Alaric Dumbledore McGonagall played stopping only for food and sleep. Every thought hidden in the depths of his mind had been sounded on the air. Every regret, pain, and joy had spilled from its fragile human container. There was nothing left for him to regurgitate. Deus had no part of himself in this moment left to explore. As for his dead brother and sister-in-law, his murdered niece and nephew, nothing remained to reawaken. The past days had served as the most careful exploration, a microscopically thorough excavation of his memory. He remembered each and every treasured moment, and now there was only the present. He could do no more but live in the moment and take and every pain it carried.

Everything had been pushed to the sides of the conservatory. The floor was a wide open, naked space. Deus had never felt more at home in complete emptiness. Only he and his cello held the floor. He was so entirely devoid of retained thoughts that he almost slumped over the instrument. Indeed, the steady wooden ally supported him in equal measure. Finally, bow was placed to string, and a low, pensive note dragged across the room. Instantly, a chorus of eleven other cellos snapped back in a whispered percussion. The bass rumble was sustained by another cello, and Deus took up the soft sighs of the top notes of the singing triad that emerged.

The cello sang through harmony of the progression, each note creating a tension and a comfort with the other two. First he would sink, deeper and deeper into a swirl of memories, desperately trying to grasp at what was lost, trying to understand how things could possibly go on without his brother. But then the notes would lift, and his spirits ascended with them. He would go on with his life. He would have to continue. Teddy would never forgive him if he didn't. Even after this catastrophe, the entire foundation of his world shaken, he must still find his footing somehow. The short percussive affirmation of the cellos bolstered his resolve.

Nine times, ten full minutes, he swung round this wringing cycle. Each time, he bravely faced what the moment brought. This was how he must continue forever. He must face the questions, the pains, the ecstasy of each moment as it came. Only eight more repetitions, only eight more.

_Soon this will end._ Deus repeated with each percussion break. _The moments must cease eventually, I will be free of this endless battle. _And yet, the song continued. Five more repetitions.

And each new moment brought with it cousins. These trials were now armed with not only his grief, but the grief of his family as well. He would have to face them and their unique pain in various moments. He almost turned back, he almost resolved to stay in the conservatory forever. But the music ascended, and percussion scolded him. Three more repetitions left.

Anything after this would never be a complete recovery, Deus knew that. Already, he could feel the silent specter of his niece hanging in the shadows of the room. She seemed to move just outside his line of sight, hiding whenever he tried to focus on her. It would always be like this, but still he could continue. At least, he could continue through two more repetitions.

And someday the moments really would stop. Time had a path dictated by forces he would never understand. Even father, with all his years and wisdom, could never full uncover the essence of time. Every human was bound to wait and wait and wait. Until, like Teddy, the wait was over, and silence welcomed you as an old friend. Only one more repetition. Only one more.


End file.
